Filing cabinet



Nov. '16 1926. I 1,606,857

M. C. WHITMORE FILING CABINET Filed Nov. 14', 1922 ZSheets-Sheet .1

QM/ 2941. ATTORNEY. I

IN V EN TOR Nov. 16,1926. 1,606,857

M. C. WHITMORE FILING CABINET Filed Nov. '14, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l v 35 f 3/ 56 \\\\$\\\\\\\\\& \}\\\\\\PX\\\\\\\\M\ 20 1.4; ATTORNEY..

Patented Nov. 16, 1926.

UNETED STATES PATENT FEQEZ.

MAX C. WHITMORE, OF DAYTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR T0 JOSEPH R. KATHRENS, TRUSTEE, OF WEST MILTON, OHIO.

FILING CABINET.

Application filed November 14, 1922.

This invention relates to new'and useful improvements in filing cabinets, and has particular reference to an indicating index for them- Card indexes for filing cabinets are often very unsatisfactory in that they do not expose quickly to view the names and subject matter indexed. Nor is it possible to easily grasp and extract a card from a large number of them tightly compressed in a separate pocket.

My invention obviates the above difiicult-ies by providing for filing cabinets, an indicating index which is simple in construction and efficient in operation. This index contemplates the provision of a ruled pad or sheet which contains names or subjects in alphabetical order that are traversed by an indicating arm. This arm may be easily moved into exact registry with a line above which the name or subject desired is placed, whereupon, by the subsequent operation of other means, a pocket will be pushed forward to present for ready withdrawal from it, a card corresponding to the name or subject selected.

Other important and incidental objects will be pointed out in the following specification, and particularly set forth in the subjoined claims.

One convenient form of embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompany drawings, of which Figure 1 is a side view of the cabinet after it has been opened, showing one of the pockets in its advanced position. Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same. Figure 3 is a side View of one of notched index cards. Figure t is a side view of another one of the index cards, whose notch is deeper than the first. Figure 5 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 6. Figure 6 is a longi tudinal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 5. And Figure 7 is an end view of one of the card-containing pockets, with the index cards therein Throughout the specification and draw ings, similar reference characters denote corresponding parts.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a detailed description of the form of embodiment of my invention illustrated therein, the numeral 1 designates a filing cabinet to the upper rear end of which there is hingedly secured a cover 2. The latter is said stop is movable.

Serial No. 600,830.

adapted to be connected by a lock 3 to the front end 4 of the cabinet, said end being hingedly secured to the front bottom portion of the latter so that it may be opened downward as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Suitably secured to the top wall 5 of the cabinet is a sheet 6 of paper or other suitable material which contains a series of straight lines 7 which extend from one end of the top board to its other and which are intersected by a central line 8 at right angles to them, to provide a number of name or subject containing spaces. Any greater or less number of lines may be placed upon the sheet to provide the number of indexing spaces desired. ure

Suitably secured upon the inside surface of the cover 2 is a sheet 9 of paper or other (See Figsuitable material containing a series of straight lines 10 that extend from one end of the cover to the other, and which are intersected by a central line 11 at right angles to them to provide a number of name or subject containing spaces. Any greater or less number of these lines may be placed upon the sheet 9 to provide the number of in dexing spaces desired. Upon either sheet 6 or 9 any number ofspaces may be apportioned to a letter of the alphabet to re3eive the names or subjects beginning with that letter. (See Figure 2).

Longitudinally disposed within the cabinet 1 is a series of pockets 12, each one of which preferably comprises a sheet of metal that is bent upon itself to include between its sides a number of index cards 13- (See Figures 5, 6 and '5). These pockets are mounted side by side upon the bottom board 14 of the cabinet, and are adapted to be "an bu the card. lVhen the pocket has been moved a sufficient distance outwardly to disclose to view the front ends of its cards, its further outward movement will be resisted by the engagement of a stop 15 on its rear bottom end with the outer end of a countersunk portion 16 of the bottom board 14 in which (See Figures 6 am tubular end of a lever 21.

firmly secured in the sidewalls oftlie c abinet 1 nearits rear end, is a sleeve 18 one end of which projects a short distance beyond one side of the cabinet. To this outwardly projecting end of the sleeve there is firmlysecured, by means of a screw 19 the enlarged (See Figures land 3 135 111894118 of this lever the sleeve 18, which is located behind the pockets 12. "may be turned to push or kick outwardly a selected pocket by themeansnow to be described.

Referring to" Figures 5 and 6, there is '"mountedon the sleeve 18, for a free longitudinal movement thereon, a cylindrical slide 22,'intoa threadedhole in which there is secured the threaded portion 23 of the inner end of the pusher arm 24. The latter has asquared portion 25 just below its threaded end, which" is freely movable through a peripheral slot 26 in the sleeve which end 27 of a connecting member 28,

loosely surrounds the slide 22.

At its upper end the connecting member 28is freely movable through a slot 30 which extends from one side of the cabinet to the other in the top board 5 ofthe latter and terminates in a rounded portion 29. This rounded portion of the'member 28 contains a lateral bore which receives a pin 31' for pivotally connecting the wide forked end 32 of an indicator arm 33 to the member 28, said arm projecting over the ruled sheet. 9.

A similar arm 34, which projects over the ruled sheet 6, has an inner forked end 35 wvhich is also pivotally connected to the Gil member 28 by the pin 31. and 6). v p

The indicating arms 33 and 34 areadapt- (See Figures 2 ed to be'moved over their respective ruled sheets by the following means. Referring to Figures 5 and 6, the numeral 36 desig-- nates a worm which is ournale-d for rotation within the sleeve 18 and which has an end 37 that projects beyondthe end of the sleeve to which the lever 21 is secured. Firmly attached by a screw- 38 to the end 37 of the worm is a knob 39 by means of which said worm may be turned bythe'hand.

I The threaded portion of the pusher-arm 24 terminates at its inner end in a cylindrical portion 40 which is freely niovablethrough an elongated slot 41 in the'sleeve 18" and which projects beyond said slot into engagement withfthe worm 36. Now, when the worm is turned by the knob 39, the pusher arm 24 will be moved laterally, drawing with it the slide 22 and the sleeve end of the connecting member 28 to move the indicator arms 33 and 34 over their respective ruled sheets.

It is thus possible by turning the knob 39, to move one of the indicator arms over its 'respectivesheet "into exact registry with a horizontal lineabove which is written the name or subject desired. For example, in

Figure 2' the knob 39 has been turned to bring the indicator arm 34 into registry with a hor zontal line 7' on which the name Joh'nDoe i s'writtenj When said arm 34 is moved to this position by theworni 36, the pusher arm 2 4will also be shifted by the latter to a 'position directly behind the pocket 12 which contains the card bearing the nameJohn Doe "on its front 'end.

N ow, as stated before, the pusher arm has afree movement through theperip'heral slot 26 in the'sle'eve end of the connecting member .28, so that the latter will remain stationary when "the sleeve 18 is rotated. Therefore, after the arm 34 hasbeen brought into registry with the John Doe line, the lever 21 may be operated to turn the sleeve 18 which will mov'ethe lower end of the pusher arm 24 a sufficient distance to thrust the pocket in front of it to a position which will permitthe Jol1n'Doe.card to be readily withdrawn therefrom. Passing obliquely through the middle portion of the pusher arm 24 is'one' end of a curved spring 42, the other end of which is secured to the connectingmember 28. This spring assists in returning the pusher arm to'its normal position after a pocket has been thrust out by it. After I the "desired information has been obtained from the face of the card, or entries have been made upon it, the card 'may be easilyreinsert ed in the pocket 'and'the latter piislieclbackinto the cabinet. The front end 4 of thelat-ter may then be turned up,

and itscover 2 brought to a closing position, sothatthese two inem'bers'may be connected by the lock 3 to safely lock the entire con tents of the cabinet.

Thehorizontal lines each one of'the "sheets the indicating arm for are so arranged on 6 and 9, that when one sheet is brought into re istr with a line thereon theother indicating arm will not register with any line on its sheet. (See Figure 2).

It will now be seen that I have provided a filing cabinet in WhlCll an indicating arin may be easily moved over a sheet or pad. to

a'line upon which a name or subject is placed, after which, by the rotation of a sleeve, a" pusher arm attached thereto will thrust "forward ii-"pocket containing ,a card bearing the name or subJect selected by the.

indicating "arm. This card may then be readily gripped and withdrawn from the pocket for the use which the operator desires to make of it.

I do notwish to be limited to the details of construction and arrangement herein shown and described, and any changes or modifications may be made therein within the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a filing cabinet having its front face open, the combination with a plurality of pockets vertically disposed side by side therein, of a laterally movable device behind said pockets, an arm projecting from said device to engage a selected pocket and push it a desired distance out ofthe front end of the cabinet, a flat index medium on the top wall of the cabinet, said wall having a slot in its rear end above the laterally movable device, a member projecting upwardly from the latter through the slot, an indicating arm secured to said member for movement thereby over the index medium to a desired position thereon, and means for actuating the pusher arm on the laterally movable device to thrust outwardly the pocket in front of it when the indicating arm has been moved to a selected position on the index medium.

2. In a filing cabinet having its front face open, the combination with a plurality of pockets vertically disposed side by side therein, of a rotatable tubular member behind said pockets, a slide movable along,

said tubular member, a flat index medium on the top wall of the cabinet, said wall having a slot above the slide, a member projecting upwardly from the latter through the slot, an indicating arm secured to said member for movement thereby over the index medium to a desired position thereon when the slide is shifted along the tubular member, a pusher arm projecting from the slide to engage a selected pocket and push it a desired distance out of the front end of the cabinet, and means for turning the tubular member to rotate the pusher arm for the purpose of thrusting outwardly the pocket in front of it when the indicating arm has been moved to a selected position on the indicating medium.

In a filing cabinet, having its front face open, the combination with a plurality of pockets vertically disposed side by side therein, of a rotatable tubular member behind said pockets, a slide movable along said tubular member, a flat index medium on the top wall of the cabinet, said wall having a slot above the slide, a member projecting upwardly from the latter through the slot, an indicating arm secured to said member for movement thereby over the index medium to a desired position thereon, a worm rotatable within the tubular member, said tubular member having an elongated slot thereworm to shift the slide to a position selected by the indicating arm, and means for rotating the tubular member after said position has been taken by the slide to force the lower end of the pusher arm into engagement with the pocket in front of it for the purpose specified.

l. In a filing cabinet, having its front face open, the combination with a plurality of pockets vertically disposed side by side therein, of a rotatable tubular member behind said pockets, a cylindrical slide movable over said tubular member, a flat index medium on the top wall of said cabinet, said wall having a slot above the slide, a member projecting upwardly through said slot and having a lower cylindrical end surrounding the slide, an indicating arm secured to said member for movement thereby over the index medium to a desired position thereon, the lower cylindrical end of said member having a peripheral slot, a Worm rotatable within the tubular member, said tubular member having an elongated slot therein, a pusher arm secured to said slide, one end of the pusher arm passing through the slot in the tubular member for engagement with said worm, the other end of said pusher arm projecting in the opposite direction from said slide, through the peripheral slot in the cylindrical end of the upright member, to en age a selected pocket and thrust it a desired distance out of the front end of the cabinet when the tubular member is rotated, hand-operated means outside the cabinet for rotating the worm to shift the slide to a position selected by the indicating arm, and means also outside the cabinet and independ ent of the first means, for rotating the tubular member after the slide has been moved to its selected position, to force the lower end of the pusher arm into engagement with the poclket in front of it for the purpose speciiec.

In a filing cabinet having its front face open, the combination with a plurality of, pockets vertically disposed side by side therein, of a laterally movable device behind said pockets to push a selected one of them out of the front end of the cabinet, an index medium on the top wall of said cabinet, said wall being provided with an opening along the end of said medium, a connecting member projecting upwardly through said opening from the laterall movable device, and an indicating arm secured to said member for movement over the index medium to in,-

dicate when the laterallynm'ovabledevice has been shifted totheproper' position to force a desired pocket-out-of the'cabinetfi cover for tlle'cabinetadapted to be turnedto .Et horizontal position backof it, an index;

medium on the interior face of said cover,

the top Wall of the cabinet having an-open--' ing Lth'ereimen index medium on the top ivall ofsaid cabinetinfront ofseidopening,,,

= a connecting member T prqecting upwardlythrough said opening from the laterally movable device, anda pair of indicating arms pivotally secured to said member, one formoveme'nt-over-the index medium on the top Wall of the cabinet and the other for movement over the =111Cl8X medium on the cover to indicate 'When the laterally movable device has {been shifted to the proper-posi- In testimony {wheretl have hereunto eetl my hand'this 13th dayof November; 1922.

5 MAX G. -WHI'IMORE.

25 tion to=force a desired pocket out of the cabinet; 

